Today marks the end of a wonderful chapter in my Daddy's life. Tomorrow starts a brand new, exciting one! I want to dedicate this blog post to my dad. Tonight, my dad will finish his last night shift at Vanderbilt and then he will retire! :) So, first things first, CONGRATULATIONS, DADDY! :)
I remember when Daddy started working for Vanderbilt. I was just starting middle school at Meigs Magnet. At the time, I remember thinking, Dad's just getting a new job and that he would be working night shifts. I wasn't worried about not seeing him in the evening because he got to bring me to school everyday and pick me up to bring me to Grandmama's. Even in high school he was able to do that. I remember fondly of the morning trips to East Literature Magnet School and stopping by Ms. Winner's for chicken biscuits. :)
However, the first several years that he worked at Vandy, I did not quite understand the significance. One of the reasons that I remember is the transportation to and from a magnet school which was in downtown Nashville, not in my zoned school. Being able to attend this school opened so many doors for me. But a major reason that he started work there was the tuition benefit that Vandy had for dependents of their employees. Growing up, I always knew that I would go to college just like my daddy and my cousins, but I never thought of how I would afford to pay for it until probably my junior year of high school when Hume Fogg counselors started to nag the students to get working on those scholarship applications. I was blessed to know that Mom and Dad had already thought about it and Daddy made the sacrifice of a "normal" work schedule so that both Christie and I could go to college without the extreme burden of student loans. I was able to complete my entire four-year degree without a single student loan thanks to my daddy's hard work and dedication, and a couple of scholarships. I'm not sure if I've ever outright said thank you to my parents for making this decision, but I am forever grateful. I have always looked up to my Daddy for his commitment to family by working at Vandy and to all of the hard work he did and still continues to do.
Now, I am just so happy that Daddy gets to retire and have fun, work out (hehe), sleep, and just enjoy life without having to worry about working crazy hours! What I'm looking forward to the most is being able to talk on the phone with Dad during the weekday nights! :)
Daddy, I love you big bunches and I'm so proud and happy for you!
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